23.6.11

Carbohydrates And Cancer - the connection

Carbohydrates And Cancer: The Fact | Carbohydrates Can Kill
Robert Su, Pharm.B., M.D.

"Concurrently, we have witnessed a growing number of cancers. Until recently, fats had been thought responsible for the development of cancers. [13] Now, more evidence shows a link between hyperglycemia and some, if not all, cancers. [14] With better design of research projects, we can expect that this link will become apparent.

Most importantly, we must recognize and bear in mind that excessive carbohydrate intake causes hyperglycemia, diabetes mellitus, and overweight/obesity. [15]

What we have known about glucose and some, if not all, cancers so far is:

1. Cancer heavily utilizes glucose for its rapid growth. [16, 17, 18]

2. Hyperglycemia is inflammatory and pro-inflammatory. [19]

3. Inflammation facilitates the growth and proliferation (metastasis) of cancer. [20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28]

4. Hyperglycemia promotes glycation both inside and outside cells and is implicated in genetic mutation. [29, 30, 31, 32, 33]

5. Cancer facilitates glycolysis that increases non-enzymatic glycation between glucose and proteins. [34]

Applying the behaviors of cancers, we are able:

1. to detect cancers, with radioactive tracer attached to glucose derivatives, e.g. PET Scan tracer attached to FDG, an analog of glucose, 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose. After cancer cells take in the glucose analog, which is attached to the tracer, PET Scan can locate the site(s) and measure the size(s) of cancers. [16, 35]

2. to develop carbohydrate-based cancer vaccines. [36]

Can we do something about preventing cancers from happening to us in the first place? While we are still unsure of the real cause(s) for our ordinary cells to become cancer cells, we blame genes, inflammation, biochemical reactions, physical irritation, infections, environmental pollutants, fats, and many others for the initiation of cancer. Until recent years we had never suspected carbohydrates to be a possible cause. However, we do not have to become ‘carbophobic’. We just have to mindfully use carbohydrates.

While hoping more research projects will focus on the relationship between carbohydrates and cancer, several articles already exist that implicate carbohydrates in the development of various cancers."


References:
  1. Su RK, “Paleolithic Diets with Dag Viljen Poleszynski, PhD (Ep. 16).“ The Podcast. Carbohydrates Can Kill. September 29, 2010.
  2. “Agricultural subsidy.” Wikipedia.
  3. USDA “Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005.” Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
  4. USDA “My Pyramid Plan.” MyPyramid.GOV.
  5. American Heart Association “Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations.” Learn and Live. Updated 21, May, 2010.
  6. American Diabetes Association “Food.” Food and Fitness.
  7. American Diabetes Association “ADA Comments on 2010 Dietary Guidelines.” Food Product Design
  8. “Ornish Diet.” Everydiet.
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  10. Su RK. “The Dietary Guidelines 2010 Must Do No Harm Or Be Overhauled.” The Blog. Carbohydrates Can Kill. July 7, 2010.
  11. Su RK “Dietary Guidelines are against science (Part 1) with Professors Richard Feinman & Richard Wood (Ep. 18).” The Podcast. Carbohydrates Can Kill. October 13, 2010.
  12. Su RK “Pam Schoenfeld and Adele Hite : The 2010 USDA Food Pyramid Proposal Is Wrong (Ep. 19).” The Podcast. Carbohydrates Can Kill. October 20, 2010.
  13. Chao A. et al “Meat Consumption and Risk of Colorectal Cancer.” Journal of American Medical Association, (JAMA). Volume 293, Number 2, Pages 172-182. January 12, 2005.
  14. Jee SH et al. “Fasting serum glucose level and cancer risk in Korean men and women.” Journal of American Medical Association, (JAMA). Volume 293, Number 2, Pages 194-202. January 12, 2005.
  15. Su RK. “Carbohydrates Can Kill: Hyperglycemia is problematic but preventable by restricting carbohydrates.” The Blog. Carbohydrates Can Kill. August 16, 23, & 30, 2010.
  16. Lindholm P et al. “Influence of the Blood Glucose Concentration on FDG Uptake in Cancer—A PET Study.” The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. 1993;34:1
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  18. Little SW. “A Study of Cancer.” Boston Medical Surgical Journal. 1914; 170: 163-166. January 29, 1914. (Original) New England Journal of Medicine.
  19. Su RK. “Blame Hyperglycemia, But Not Hyperinsulinemia For Inflammation.” The Blog. Carbohydrates Can Kill. June 9, 2010.
  20. Whitcomb DC. “Inflammation and Cancer V. Chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.” American Journal of Physiology – Gastrointestine and Liver Physiology Volume 287, Pages G315-G319. 2004.
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  28. Coussens LM and Werb Z. “ Inflammation and cancer.” Nature. Volume 420, Number 6917, Pages 860-7. December 19-26, 2002.
  29. Thornalley PJ. “Protecting the genome: defence against nucleotide glycation and emerging role of glyoxalase I overexpression in multidrug resistance in cancer chemotherapy.” Biochemical Society Transactions. Volume 31, Part 6. 2003.
  30. Klimek A. “ISLET AMYLOID – A Ahmad N, et al. “Glycated and Oxidized Protein Degradation Products Are Indicators of Fasting and Postprandial Hyperglycemia in Diabetes.” Diabetes Care. Volume 28, Number 10. Pages 2465-2471, 2005.
  31. Genuth S, et al. “Glycation and Carboxymethyllysine Levels in Skin Collagen Predict the Risk of Future 10-Year Progression of Diabetic Retinopathy and Nephropathy in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial and Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications Participants With Type 1 Diabetes.” Diabetes. Volume 54, Number 11, Pages 3103–3111, November 2005.
  32. Bartling B, et al. “Down-regulation of the receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) supports non-small cell lung carcinoma.” Carcinogenesis. Volume.26, Number 2, Pages 293–301, 2005.
  33. Kuniyasu H, et al. “Co-expression of receptor for advanced glycation end products and the ligand amphoterin associates closely with metastasis of colorectal cancer.” ONCOLOGY REPORTS. Volume 10, Pages 445-448, 2003.
  34. van Heijst JWJ, et al. “Advanced Glycation End Products in Human Cancer Tissues: Detection of N-(Carboxymethyl)lysine and Argpyrimidine.” Annals of New York Academy of. Science. Volume 1043, Number 1, Pages 725–733. 2005.
  35. GE Healthcare “Your Exam, Step by Step.”
  36. Ragupathi G et al. “On the power of chemical synthesis: Immunological evaluation of models for multiantigenic carbohydrate-based cancer vaccines”, The Proceeding of the National Academy of Science. October 15, 2002. Volume. 99, Number 21, Pages 13699-13704.
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